Hampshire College is a member of the Five College Consortium and is viewed as the eccentric hippie school. A well known myth maintains that the characters in Scooby Doo were based on the colleges in the Consortium. Hampshire is said to have been the basis for Shaggy although it did not open until 1970, after the show first aired.

Students receive evaluations rather than grades. Even if you ask, professors will not convert your eval to a grade. Each student has an adviser who, unlike at most schools, tends to actually have a significant role in the student's life.

Hampshire is unique in that it has a Farm Center and blacksmithing forges. Its strong subject areas are in the Natural Sciences and Film & Photography.

Hampshire has a small population, but students can take classes, enroll in clubs, and party at the other four schools so diversity (except ideological) and resources are not as limited as at other schools of a similar size.

"Isn't Will great? He just edited this essay I wrote for my Amherst class."
"Yeah, he gave me some really helpful advice last week. God...Will is fucking hilarious. I can't wait until I take another class with him next semester."

"The White Folks Against Racism Coalition is campaigning for the school to establish a post for an anti-racism professor."
"What is this idealistic bullshit? Hampshire College's budget and endowment are so shitty we have to pay for the library's printer paper."